For years, it feels as if Career mode in EA FC has been left to pretty much rot. It feels like forever since the single-player mode got any kind of meaningful update from EA. Now, I get it — just like College Football 26 is specifically catered to single-player gamers, EA FC has been catered to the multiplayer crowd for a number of years now, because EA knows where its bread is buttered in that regard. And fair enough. But, going into this new cycle for EA FC 26, the developer/publisher has acknowledged some improvements that will be coming to Career mode this year.
Now, we don’t know exactly what kind of improvements will be delivered. However, what we do know is that EA FC 26 will be introducing two separate gameplay styles: Competitive and Authentic. This is a great first step and allows Ultimate Team and Clubs players to have their own thing, whilst single-player enthusiasts can keep their football a bit more realistic. But that isn’t the only change that needs to come to Career mode in EA FC 26 in order for it to be as great as it possibly can.
What EA FC 26 Career Mode Needs
Sensible Transfer Market
The first obvious change EA FC 26 Career mode will need is better transfer market logic. Too often, teams struggling at the bottom of a league table are able to pull in some of the most elite players on the market. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think players like Kylian Mbappe or Cole Palmer are considering joining Everton anytime soon. This kind of stuff is immersion-breaking, and it has to be better moving forward.
Also, what about release clauses? They’re completely broken in EA FC 25, because even if another team triggers a player’s clause, you can simply negotiate a new deal that will negate that clause. Hogwash!
More Meaningful Actions For Managers
There’s more to being a manager than choosing a lineup, tactical style, and managing matches. Managers are often the figureheads of their respective clubs and have to wear many hats — they’re PR, babysitters, and even therapists. That kind of responsibility seems lost on EA FC 26, which doesn’t really go too far with any kind of dialogue in Career mode.
Maybe I’m too much into the Football Manager rabbit hole, but where are the team meetings? The halftime talks? The true man management? It might seem small, but these are big parts of football, and something that I feel EA is crazy not to at least attempt to capture
Developing A Tactical Identity
Football tactics aren’t a plug-and-play type of deal. Think of the best clubs over the last decade or so, and you’ll notice that they all have an identity or ethos that they stick to as a base philosophy. Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City has become synonymous with possession-based football, often trying to dictate the pace of the game. Meanwhile, under Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool emerged as a fast-and-furious kind of club, coining the infamous “gegenpress” style. Sure, tactical flexibility is nice and is part of any great club, but for the most part, these great teams stick to a core of fundamental principles they can lean on.
This just isn’t a thing in EA FC Career mode right now. Just spent $50 million on a new winger that doesn’t fit the current system you’ve been winning with? No biggie, just swap the formation and send the boys on their merry way! I would love to see tactical familiarity play a greater role in matches being won and lost.
Online Career Mode, Please!
You know how a lot of people love Online Dynasty in College Football 26? Well, there’s nothing like that in EA FC 25. And it’s baffling as to why. Other EA Sports titles — namely, CFB and Madden — have online Franchise/Dynasty modes. Why can’t EA FC, which is a way more popular title globally?
It feels like such a missed opportunity not to allow multiple players to develop their own ecosystem where they’re competing for trophies and players. This should be a no-brainer, but for some reason, EA has dragged its feet when it comes to any kind of multiplayer implementation in Career mode.
Better Data Tracking
If you’ve noticed anything about the Operation Sports community, it’s that we’re a bunch of nerds, especially when it comes to numbers. And I’ll be blunt: The stat tracking in EA FC Career mode sucks.
Nowhere in the mode can you find transfer history, comprehensive statistical records, or much of anything. In fact, the entire ordeal feels like a series of season modes as opposed to a virtual timeline of football. It might sound like a small thing, but being able to track stats, transfers, and the like is a massive quality-of-life change that can be made.
